Sheffield Wednesday: Joao earns Portugal call-up

Dom Howson

The 22-year-old, who has notched two goals in his last four outings, has impressed since arriving from Nacional in a £2.8m deal over the summer, netting four times.

A senior member of Portugal’s coaching staff watched Joao in action when Wednesday triumphed 2-1 at Rotherham United last month. His most recent strike came in the Owls’ extraordinary 3-0 Capital One Cup victory over Arsenal.

Born-and-bred in Angola, Joao has represented Portugal at both Under-20 and Under-21 level.

Portugal face games against Russia and Luxembourg on November 14 and November 17 respectively and Joao can now look forward to lining up alongside the likes of Ballon d’Or winner and Real Madrid superstar Cristiano Ronaldo.